1. Warm-up: Bring in a ruler, yardstick, and tape measure. Ask students what these instruments measure. Have them estimate the height, length, and width of the classroom. Find these measurements as a class and compare them to the estimates.

2. Motivate the Lesson: Ask students to estimate the height of the Empire State Building. Ask them what the appropriate units would be (i.e.: inches, miles, or feet). Explain that an inch is the smallest unit of measure and a mile is the largest unit of measure that you will discuss today.